Like the book, this review is going to be short (I’d say “short and sweet,” but this is a horror novel, and I feel like sweet isn’t the best adjective to use here).

            I watched the movie based on this book back when I was in middle school.  I had a slumber party for my birthday in seventh grade and my friends and I decided we wanted to rent a horror movie.  Almost thirty years later, I learned the book existed, and mentally chastised myself for not knowing that fact.  My horror book club picked this book for one of our monthly selections, and that’s how I learned there was indeed a book that was written prior to the movie. 

            Bloch wrote a relatively short and to the point novel about a very troubled young man.  Norman Bates resides in an ominous house on a hill behind an aging roadside motel.  The entire book spans only a few days, but it packs a lot into a small number of pages.  Norman seems to have a volatile relationship with his mother, and takes solace in the booze he hides away in the office of the motel.  When Mary Crane pulled into the parking lot, Norman seemed excited to have the company.  Everything unraveled pretty quickly, and just became worse for Norman and his mother when people came along asking questions about Mary. 

            Bloch wasn’t a man of many words, and he certainly didn’t waste any with this novel.  He wrote with an almost clinical accuracy leaving little to the imagination while at the same time being as concise as possible.  There was no embellishment or unnecessarily loquacious descriptions.  Block was able to convey the story of a man suffering from dissociative identity disorder, which was then (still is today) an exceptionally rare diagnosis.  Norman was also a cross-dresser (the term used in the book), which is something else that was not discussed very much in 1959.  This book tackled a couple of controversial topics while being an exceptionally creepy tale.

            There’s a reason why this is considered a classic. 

I decided to read this novel after listening to an episode of a podcast called Villains on Norman Bates. The podcast followed the Hitchcock film, but made several references to the source material, so given how short it was I opted to give it a go. For me, it shows its age, especially re: societal stigmas regarding gender and sexuality. However, it's definitely relevant to present times, as Norman Bates presents (at least to me) as like, an early instantiation of an incel. In fact, I think what I liked best about the novel was thinking through what had been adapted to the film version, what hadn't, and why. For instance, one of the biggest differences between the movie and the book is Tony Perkins' casting vs. the book's description of the character as "fat," "balding," "alcoholic," and "middle aged." Not Perkins' portrayal at all, and Villains suggests (I think rightfully) that was on purpose. Another note: as a woman living in the #metoo era, it was hard to read Norman's consistently misogynistic inner monologue. So content warning-wise, readers should anticipate that as well as "diagnoses" of gender nonconformity as mental illness [insert eye roll here] TL;DR: thought-provoking in some ways, but overall not exactly illuminating

This book was intense but a must read if you enjoyed the psycho movie by Alfred Hitchcock

I basically picked up this book because if i can i like to read books that movies are based on and so that can be a sort of disadvantage sometimes especially if the book and movie are not poles apart. Since i already know the Norman Bates story i wasn't particularly shocked about anything that happened in this book. However the book was not a disappointment and it was rather fascinating reading about the crazy that is Norman Bates.

As a fan of the iconic Hitchcock film (which is likely to be my favourite), the act of cracking the spine of this book comes with some eventuality and trepidation and excitement. It is fuelled as much by curiosity (of the much-touted 'original' inspiration) as by obligation (to know where it all started from). All in all, the novel doesn't surpass the movie; rather, the movie improved on things which the novel might have done well but not well enough. Bloch's narrative trades too much on the conventional shock factor, which is well and good at first sight but whose effects are short-lived once one gets past that hurdle of the unexpected. Also, I cringed at the cheesily romantic build-up between Sam Loomis and Lila Crane, the latter whose wide-eyed innocence I suspect was too suspect for someone (me) born in such a cynical age. The original Norman Bates inspired more revulsion than Perkinsian sympathy, which was a shame in retrospect since Anthony Perkins obviously made everything better. Hitchcock's version was more concise and polished, more sympathetic, and it delivered lingering mystery in iconic images that have come to occupy an integral place in pop culture (blood swirling down the drain, the figure behind the curtain, Norman's creepy smile in the finale). However, it is important to acknowledge genius where genius is due, and without Bloch's inception of the plot and its key narrative elements, the Psycho of 1960 would never have existed.

I'm a poor planner when it comes to reading scary books. I keep finishing them right before bed, unable to go to sleep. Fantastic. This was a great book. A classic. It did get slow in the middle, and it carried a bit. However, it seems to match how entertainment was handled in the time period it was released. The overtures of women taking the reins and failing, men telling them to hush up and stay quiet, and the scandal of everything make this compelling to read. I was telling someone that it wasn't crazy scary at first, but when the climax occurred, it made me feel everything from being watched to creepy crawlies and like any moment someone was going to jump out at me. Woo, need a break before sleeping on this one. Definitely worth the read if you've never encountered it before this.

Y porque no hay más estrellas. No sé cómo he tardado tanto en leerlo.

4.5 stars!!!!! OH MY GOSH WHY WAS I NEVER IN THE MOOD TO READ THIS?! It was sooooo good!!!!! It was kind of ehhh at first, and I had already tried reading it once in October but wasn’t in the mood. I’m glad I finally was in the mood to read it because it was eerie and perfect. I kind of figured out some of it (after watching some of Bates Motel (still behind though)) but it was different!!!! Would recommend for something quick to read!

The incomparable Robert Bloch. Creepy, intense and subtle equals nothing less than perfection. I can't believe that I hadn't ever read this; it has certainly sparked a desire to read everything of his, to devour it all. Pitch perfect prose, pacing, and believable people. Every word counts, yet spares nothing, and rolls off the tongue. Exceptional.

La mayoría de las veces que se comparan una película y el libro original, estas tienden a estar muy por debajo en calidad y trama. Hay algunos pocos casos en donde tanto el libro como la película son igual de buenos pero lo que es extremadamente raro son las películas que superan al libro. Esta es una de esas rarezas. La historia es ya bastante conocida y el final no va a dar sorpresas, el estilo de Bloch es sencillo y rápido, los hechos avanzan uno tras otro velozmente. Es interesante notar las diferencias culturales que se han sucitado al pasar los años (la primera publicación de Psicosis es en 1959), el trato y las metas a las que podía acceder una mujer o los prejuicios propios de la década. La historia empieza con Mary Crane, una mujer cercana a los treinta años pero con una vida sacrificada. No sólo tuvo que cuidar a su madre hasta que murió, también pagó por los estudios de su hermana y su novio la abandono por otra (a la edad de 22 años). Aunque le ha costado recuperarse ha tenido suerte y esta enamorada de Sam Loomis, hombre honesto y trabajador dueño de una ferretería en un pequeño poblado llamado Fairvale. Pero junto con la ferretería tiene una gran cantidad de deudas que tiene que pagar y hasta que no las haya cancelado no va a casarse con Mary. La oportunidad de Mary llega cuando en su trabajo le piden que haga un depósito producto de una venta. Son 40 000 dólares, los cuales pueden ayudarla a ella y a Sam a dejar atrás las deudas y vivir juntos una buena vida. En una decisión apresurada, Mary toma el dinero y escapa hacia Fairvale, en todo el trayecto va pensando en como explicarle a Sam la aparición de este dinero y ocultando sus huellas para desaparecer. Es en este trance en donde llega cansada a un Motel semi abandonado en una carretera secundaria, el Motel Bates. Un lugar administrado por un extraño personaje llamado Norman Bates que vive a la sombra de su madre. Bates es un hombre apocado que tiene una relación de amor-odio con su madre. La influencia sofocante de esta han hecho de Norman una triste imagen de un hombre mediocre sin capacidad ni deseos de crecer. La aparición de Mary y la oportunidad de Norman de conversar y cenar con ella excitan su psique Norman desatando el malestar de la madre y haciendo que esta asesine a Mary. Pero la desaparición de Mary y los 40 000 dólares desata una búsqueda tanto por la empresa en la que trabajaba como por su hermana Lila. Poco a poco el rastro de Mary los lleva al motel Bates y vamos descubriendo los sórdidos secretos que Norman y su madre guardaban. Bloch logra con bastante fluidez y de manera sencilla recrear una atmósfera de misterio y terror con grandes toques psicológicos. Las conversaciones de Bates con su madre o los monólogos que él tiene justificando su comportamiento le dan una dimensión diferente a la historia, creando un personaje que fue magistralmente llevado al cine: Norman Bates. Considero que la película es superior al libro, pero este es un libro que vale la pena leer.